The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers moved their May 4 start time up 30 minutes to avoid ugly weather in the Motor City. But the rain only held up until the sixth inning, when Payton Tolle's excellent outing was tainted by ugly throws and poor grips.
But by that time, the Red Sox's night was already devastating. Roman Anthony left the game after his first at-bat and Masataka Yoshida took over in his place.
Anthony seemed to injure his wrist trying to check his swing against Tigers opener Tyler Holton. After a lengthy injury delay, during which the outfielder was examined by trainers and took a few practice swings, finished his at-bat and played the field in the first frame, leading some fans to believe he might've been fine.
But no such luck for Boston. A few innings after his exit, the Red Sox announced he left the game with "right wrist discomfort." There has been no confirmation if he'll need any time to rest —or worse, an injured list stint — but the Red Sox will almost certainly update on his condition after the game.
Roman Anthony exits rain-delayed Red Sox-Tigers game with wrist discomfort and Boston fans hold their breath
A rain delay took hold in the eighth inning after the Sox and Tigers played for a good while in the poor weather. Boston managed a stellar, five-run seventh inning to spin the game in their favor despite the possibility of more troubling injury news (a full rotation of Red Sox pitchers are already out of commission).
Anthony has struggled to begin his sophomore season with the Red Sox. He's slashed .229/.354/.321 over 30 appearances. The 21-year-old (who will turn 22 this month) has been heating up at the plate in recent days, to the tune of a .269/.345/.346 slash line in his last seven games. His series against the Houston Astros included two doubles off the Green Monster, just his fourth and fifth two-baggers on the year.
Anthony recently spent four games on the sidelines with back soreness the Red Sox expected him to need just one day to heal. Not only can Anthony not afford any more interruptions in his progress, the Sox can't, either — this team was built on Anthony's ability to grow into a star and deliver on both sides of the ball every day and that hasn't happened so far this year.
Thankfully, other Red Sox bats are emerging. Jarren Duran has been on a power trip lately, with three home runs in his last seven games. He delivered a three-run bomb to take the lead against the Tigers after Anthony's departure. Marcelo Mayer has also been one of Boston's hottest hitters in the final weeks of April and into May. He's batting .333/.391/.405 with five RBI in his last 15 appearances.
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